


Arrows and Shadows

by FanytasticLife



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2015-01-29
Packaged: 2018-02-20 22:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 15,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2445830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanytasticLife/pseuds/FanytasticLife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After their dangerous journey to save the world, the Greeks and Romans return to their homes and all is calm. Finally, everything can be calm! Not. The romance between Will and Nico is ANYTHING but calm.<br/>DISCLAIMER: NO CHARACTER BELONGS TO ME EXCEPT NERON :P THEY ARE ALL THE WONDROUS CREATION OF RICK RIORDAN (except Neron lol)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Return to Normalcy- Ish

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy the chapter! I had so much fun writing the romance of my new OTP!

WILL'S POV  
\---  
Talk about hard work rebuilding Camp Half-Blood. Even days after the Romans left, camp was still no way back to normal.

Especially because I am stuck in the infirmary. Now, I normally don't mind healing with a battle raging around me, but when everything is all calm, sometimes just staying with injured campers can be a little overwhelming.

Luckily, things cheered up when Nico started passing by.

It started gradually; Nico came by occasionally just to say hi, tagging along with other campers. A slow bubble of jealousy formed in Will's stomach when he saw the campers. He would stay and heal the other kids, but it was still annoying that he couldn't be out and about like everyone else. There was always someone's stab wound that bled through bandages or poison from monsters that needed to be treated. Even with the help of ambrosia and nectar, as well as some fellow kids from the Apollo cabin, the constant babysitting that this job required took so much out of me. Using too much healing power could weaken me a lot.

And then, there was jealousy that Nico was starting to interact more with other campers. Being stuck in the infirmary meant no secret boy crushes to chase after. Just a longing for company.

And a longing for Nico.

I say hi to him when he comes by, but I know he must be too shy to really come talk to me.

I can wait. I know he'll come around eventually.

. . .

"Will! You have to see this!"

A shout outside the infirmary jolts me awake.

Groggily, I walk outside to see a whole pile of medical supplies that I had been running slightly low on. Archery equipment gleams in gold among the supplies.

"Dad sent it for sure," I whisper, thanking him mentally.

"Good thing because we need them," Austin, the Apollo camper who had called me outside, tells me. "We were actually running extremely low on bandages. Magic can only do so much."

"Right, we better haul them inside, then," I respond, carrying a new bow back into the cabin, along with several quivers of arrows.

After a few trips, I tell Austin I would take care of the rest of the supplies. As I inspect the last bits of equipment, which are some quality sonic arrows and other mischievous sorts of arrows, I notice a figure darting past a couple of cabins.

What other camper would be awake in the middle of the night?  
I look around, noting that other cabins also have surprises in front of their doorsteps. The figure stops behind the Hephaestus Cabin, turning to go beyond it.

Where is this person going?

They almost disappear into the shadows and I decide to make a split second decision; I follow the person. Aren't they afraid of the patrol harpies? At this time, the smart choice would be to alert the whole camp, but it could just be a camper out of bed. I would need to do some serious talking if I sound an alarm for one kid that's simply sneaking around cabins.

The person continues around cabins, eventually stopping in front of the Hades cabin. I peek around the corner of the cabin, watching the figure look around to make sure no one is watching. They enter the cabin and that's when the alarm bells in my head start to ring.

I have no time to grab a weapon back at the Apollo cabin. My only choice is to follow, once again.

I slowly sneak up to the cabin's front door, which is slightly ajar.

From inside comes a voice.

"I saw you kill him."

It's a voice I don't recognize.

"Who?" I hear Nico's voice, stable, but not necessarily confident.

"Octavian. You killed him. He was our leader. Now you deserve twenty times that pain."

The blood rushes through my head and all I can think is that Nico's still weak from the shadow jumping and the battle. I told him no more Underworldy stuff, which barely leaves him any defense with a knife at his throat.

I burst into the Hades Cabin.


	2. Infirmary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico's POV. What happens after Will bursts into the Hades Cabin? How does he feel about Will taking care of him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hi, everyone! It's amazing to know that I've already gotten so many views and it hasn't even been 24 hours yet! Thanks for reading, and enjoy this chapter. Please review/comment, give kudos, bookmark, subscribe (etc) to keep up! :)

NICO'S POV  
\--------

I can't help but smile when Will runs into the cabin, at least internally. Even with a knife at my neck. He's trying to be such a hero. I suppose all of us at camp are heroes in our own ways, though.

"Hey, Will. Nice of you to leave the infirmary to visit me," I joke, smirking.

A smile smile creeps on his face, barely noticeable.

"Shut up," the Roman says next to me. The tip of his knife presses into my neck a little harder, piercing my skin slightly, causing small shocks of pain. "If you shout for help, he dies."

"Why are you here, fellow Roman?" Will asks in a calm tone.

"This boy here killed my buddy, Octavian. He deserves a painful fate," he responds, baring his teeth.

"Aw, come on, we just made up with your camp," Will complains.

"Under Reyna, yes. I saw what you did too, Solace. You let Nico launch Octavian at Gaea."

"I- well, yeah, I guess that's true," Will responds. "Technically, in his own way he did save the camps. You should be thanking Nico."

My heart sinks. Will knows that I let Octavian dies. He will see me as that Hades kid that everyone hates. I just know it.

The darkness roils over me and the ground starts to shake. A skeletal hand shoots up out of the ground.

"Stop!" Both the Roman and Will yell.

That little summoning makes my hands shake. Combined with the darkness that has started to come into the tips of my mind and the weakness of the battle, I realize I am still weak. The room starts to sway and I know I'm swaying along with it.

"Stop it! Or this knife's going straight through your throat!" The Roman's voice sounds a little tinny, far away, muffled.

I stop, not because of the Roman, but because if I raised that skeleton, I might be knocked unconscious.

"Please! Michael Kahale is the one you want to pick a fight with. Go back to California! He's the one who actually launched him!" Will shouts.

The Roman boy chuckles. In the dimly lit room, it's a little eerie. "I've already taken care of him. He won't be sponsored by anyone ever again."

Another wave of disorientation flows through me as the skeletal hand disappears into the ground. I feel the room spinning and I sway again.

Will can see there's something wrong. With his eyes slowly meeting mine. I feel a little better. A little healed. Maybe it's a gift from Apollo that Will gained, like Reyna's power of lending strength?

His eyes start to look around, fully taking in the situation. He's analyzing, figuring out how to get me out.

The Roman presses the knife deeper into my neck and I grit my teeth in pain.

"Slowly, slowly," the Roman mutters to me.

"Please," Will pleads. It's strangely uncharacteristic of him to plead rather than to fight. I force myself to look at him and I swear I see a mischievous look in his eyes. "He saved the gods in the Titan War, you know," he says quietly. "Without him we would have been massacred."

The Roman shrugs. "Down with the Greeks, good for the Romans."

"You fought in that war!" Will shouts, looking distressed.

"We handled the Titans just fine," the Roman boy responds.

I close my eyes as the blade stays just piercing my skin. I can feel the trickle down my neck.

Suddenly, a shrill sound reaches my ears. The Roman is completely taken by surprise and I muster all my energy into kicking the knife from his hand. My ears still ring with the sonic whistle that Will made as a distraction, but I scuttle away from the Roman quickly.

Footsteps approach from outside the cabin and I see half of the Apollo cabin outside the open door, weapons at the ready. The golden glow of their arrows blind me temporarily. Blinking rapidly and fighting to stay conscious from the magic and the small blood loss, I watch them take the Roman boy away.

Will hurries over to me.

"You hanging in there, Death Boy?" He asks gently as he takes my pulse. I feel a flash of annoyance. Ugh, really? Again with the Death Boy nickname?

I flinch at the physical contact with him. Will pulls away for a few seconds in surprise. Then his face becomes slightly closed off.

"Come on, Nico. I need to see how you're doing." He reaches for my wrist and this time I don't flinch. "Even Death Boy should be afraid of death."

I just stare, unable to nod. I try to speak anyway. "Don't- "

"Don't call you Death Boy, I know," Will interrupts, giving a laugh. He frowns growing more serious. "You shouldn't try to speak yet."

He smiles again, which is more angelic and savior-like than the appearance of the Apollo cabin. I can practically see a golden glow around him. All the members of the Apollo cabin slowly shuffle out, leaving just Will and me.

In the doorway, one of the kids tells Will that they'll take care of the Roman boy. He leaves and Will turns his attention back to me.

With a gentle touch, he slips his fingers under my back and legs, carrying me. I don't flinch this time.

"Back to the infirmary we go," he says. He carries me outside and I shiver as a cool breeze blows by. I lean closer to Will's warm body instinctively.

Even in the darkness of night, I can feel him flush. "Don't get too comfortable, di Angelo," he scolds jokingly. Our trip isn't that long," he whispers.

He sets me down on a bed in the infirmary and goes to grab supplies. I close my eyes and sigh.

I hear Will come back to my bedside, but I don't open my eyes. Instead I feel his presence, his strong life force.

He tells me quietly, "Eat some ambrosia."

His hands slowly press an ambrosia square to my lips. As I munch on it, I taste the cookies that Bianca often snuck to me when the kids at Westover Hall took all the cookies at the celebrations the school had. It was a bittersweet, like it always is when I eat ambrosia. The pain of that memory, but the deliciousness of Bianca's sisterly affection. I tear up every time and this time is no exception.

Water passes through my lips next, quenching my dry throat.

"Hey, are you crying?" Will asks. He's cleaning my neck wounds, cleaning and applying bandages.

"Um, no," I reply defensively.

Before I put my hand up to hastily brush the tears away, Will's fingers do the trick. It's hard to imagine that a hand that can so fearlessly launch a killing arrow and a hand that can play musical instruments with ease can be so soft. Hardened by working, but still soft on my face. He was meant for healing, not just in the physical way, but I can sense him healing me somehow internally, too.

Not that I'd ever say anything.

"Got scared for a second that you'd die on me, Death Boy," he admits. "That Roman was just so... unpredictable."

I keep my eyes closed. "Yeah, me too," I reply.

He's finished applying bandages. He has no reason to stay now.

"It's late," I whisper. "You should sleep, Will."

"We both should. Yet we're not," he murmurs.

I can't help but agree with him.

He brushes the hair falling over my eyes. I don't feel the need to shrink away from his touch. My hair has grown longer on the quest, along with more confidence, a slight growth spurt, and new understanding of my powers.

Someone enters into the infirmary none too quietly. I can hear their footsteps as they search around.

"Hey, we're having a counselor meeting tomorrow afternoon." My eyes flutter open. I know his voice. It's the voice that I've been thinking about for years, who was annoyingly attractive; the voice belongs to Percy

He must not have found us until I looked at him. The light illuminates the blush on his cheeks.

Will reacts first. "It's not- " He moves away from me, blushing almost as deeply. "Um, your bandages are all, uh, working."

"Wow, I'm glad they... work," I say pathetically in reply. "We'll be there, Percy." I'm probably more flushed than both of them combined.

"Um, okay," Percy replies awkwardly. "Can I talk to Nico alone?"

"No!" I exclaim, a little too forcefully. "I mean- "

"What he means is that he kind of needs his rest right now, Percy," Will cuts in.

"Oh, um, yeah. See you at the meeting then." Percy quickly shuffles out of the room.

I groan loudly in his absence.

Will doesn't say anything, so we just stay in an awkward silence.

Finally, he breaks it. "I should- "

"Yeah, get some sleep," I tell him. He brushes back his blond hair and he gives me a small smile.

I close my eyes, wanting to capture that smile so that I can replace it over Percy's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! Don't forget to review/comment, give kudos, bookmark, subscribe, etc. Don't you want to know the fate of the Roman and what the counselor meeting will be like? ;)
> 
> Wow, that was REALLY fun to write and type up! I did it during school, bits here and there. This story is turning out to be AWESOME! It's nice to explore their relationship!


	3. Verdict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The camp counselors have a meeting to determine the fate of the Roman that tried to kill Nico

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I see you're enjoying my fanfiction, so here's another chapter! I hope you like it and don't forget to comment, give kudos, and bookmark it ;)

WILL'S POV  
\---------

As always, gathered around the ping pong table, all the cabin counselors are chaotic, shouting, and fighting. Miranda is yelling at Jake Mason, who took over the Hephaestus cabin when Leo didn't come back from the giant Gaea-Octavian explosion. It seems like the Demeter cabin was promised some help to fixing their cabin after the Ares cabin played some jokes on them. The Stoll brothers are shouting at Percy from across the table, telling him about their newest raid on the camp store. Butch is telling Clovis to WAKE UP! Lou Ellen is amiably telling Annabeth about the new magic curses that she's learned.

Then Nico enters the room and everyone goes silent.

He stands there awkwardly and the bandages on his neck seem to stick out more.

"Have you decided anything yet?" He asks in a sullen tone.

"The meeting hasn't exactly started yet," Clarisse responds brusquely. "We should just get to it so we can decide how to punish him!"

"I say we throw him in the lava where the climbing wall is," Connor suggests.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Travis responds, aghast. "He should at least be able to try climbing up the wall. And if he doesn't make it, well..."

"We're not involving any sort of lava," Annabeth says.

"Let's just wait until Chiron gets here!" Percy shouts.

"A good idea indeed." Chiron enters behind Nico, rolling through the door in his wheelchair. Next to him is the Roman boy.

Nico backs away nervously. This seems rather unusual to me. He doesn't back away from a fight. I'll have to ask him about it later.

"The camp does not know about Neron, here," Chiron informs us.

"Your name is Neron? What kind of na- " Connor starts.

"Seriously? You're focusing on his name?" Travis answers.

"Both of you, shush!" Annabeth tells them.

Nico sits in the sit next to me, stiff and tense. I'm worried about how much he's slept overnight while I wasn't at his bedside. I should have stayed right by him, stroked his hair, held his hand... No, he'd never allow that. There's no way he's already grown feelings for me. I've been silently watching for years while he chased after Percy uselessly.

"Are you okay?" I ask Nico gently, whispering while the others figure out where Neron will sit.

"I'm fine, Will. You don't need to keep worrying about me," he replies rather coldly, not looking at me.

What is with him? Yesterday he was so open and calm with me, but today he's become closed off. It's going to be hard to navigate between these rocky waters.

"Let's start already!" Clarisse shouts within the chattering. "He should stand!"

Neron does indeed stay standing.

"Speak, child. What are your crimes?" Chiron asks him.

"I have committed none, but instead defended- "

"Oh, come on, loser!" Clarisse shouts. "Just admit it. You tried to kill Nico. Now, I'd be all for killing him, usually, but he brought peace between our camps, so I can't say he hasn't saved our camp and yours!"

"Wow, Clarisse. Nico must feel so grateful for your support," Percy says.

Nico looks at the floor, silent.

"Shut up, Jackson!" Clarisse yells back at Percy.

"Whatever. Yes, I did that," Neron admits.

"He has a probatio tablet," Annabeth observes. "If we give him back, they'll feed him to the wolves."

"Good," I blurt out. Everyone turns to me in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Miranda asks.

"He was going to kill Nico!" I point at Nico for emphasis, who is trying to melt into his seat by this point. He doesn't like all the attention right now. I stand up to face everyone.

"Will... it's still not right," Annabeth responds. "We all care about Nico."

Nico makes an incoherent grumble at that.

"You weren't there!" I yell back.

I don't want to show how scared I was that Nico might've been killed, how we may have started the first romance I'd had in years. How I couldn't have someone I care about so much die again.

"I know. You're right. I wasn't," Annabeth admits. "But sometimes we have to be better than that."

Steaming with anger, I don't respond. I glare at Neron hatefully.

"Will," Nico says quietly. I look down to where he's sitting. "I've been to Camp Jupiter long enough to know their punishments. They'll probably either exile him or kill him for being a traitor of Rome."

"I think we should give him a chance," Lou Ellen suggests. "Who's your godly parent?"

"Um, he was actually Greek, not Roman. I just found Camp Jupiter first."

"So?" Connor presses.

"Apollo."

Everyone turns to me once again and my mouth is open with shock.

"So if we take him in, I'm in charge of him?" I ask, closing my mouth and gritting my teeth.

"He will be monitored for a good amount of time," Chiron assures me.

"Fine," I concede. I'm watching him like a hawk. One misstep...

"So he stays, then?" Annabeth asks to make sure.

Everyone hesitantly nods.

"Go show him around then, Will," Annabeth instructs me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was really fun to write, again! This fanfiction's going in a nice direction. Please check back later today or tomorrow for a new chapter!
> 
> Please give kudos, write some comments, and bookmark to make sure you get the latest of this story and to give me feedback. Or else you might be fed to the wolves, hehe ;)


	4. Couplets for the Couple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will takes care of Nico. What happens when Nico decides to disobey him?  
> Okay, i suck at summaries. fanfiction.net doesn't have these so I hope that's okay xD  
> BTW IMPORTANT: THEIR SHIPNAME IS SOLANGELO (according to 99% of the fandom) WHICH I THINK IS PERFECT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UGH YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! I just passed 900 hits and I told myself when that happened, I'd update!  
> UM ENJOY THE CHAPTER AND STUFF <3 THE LAST FEW LINES HAVE ME LAUGHING SO HARD!

NICO'S POV  
\----

I get up to leave the room as everyone shuffles out, leaving Will, Neron, and me.

"I'm going back to my cab- " I start.

"No, you're not. You're going straight to the infirmary right now, Death Boy!" Will commands.

"But- "

"Nope, you better be in there when I finish the tour."

"Will- "

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Go. Doctor's orders. Don't even think about anything too hard. Just sit or lie down there"

"I- Okay, fine," I mumble.

He's so annoying! I think to myself. Even more frustrating than Percy.

A thousand angry, frustrated, confused butterflies erupt in my stomach as Will says, "If you're not there, we're going to have a talk." With that, he pushes Neron out the door and they head off on their tour.

I don't have to listen to him.

But I find myself trudging toward the Big House anyway.

"Hey, Nico, where's Will?" One of the boys lying on a bed in the infirmary asks.

"Giving the guy who tried to kill me yesterday a tour," I mutter, not loudly enough for him to hear. I tell him loudly, "Giving a new camper a tour."

"You should tell him to hurry up because my wound started bleeding again," he responds, pointing to a bandage on his knee.

"Yeah, sure," I tell him with no intention of calling Will here right now.

I watch as Will parades around with Neron with a scowl on his face through the window in the infirmary. They go to the volleyball court, where someone passes the volleyball to Will and he spikes it back across the net.

What was it that Thalia had said about Apollo?

He's hot. And Will, with his athletic build and his piercing blue eyes that didn't waver in fear when someone threatened him, was just like Apollo...

I scowl quickly. I shouldn't be thinking of Will. Doctor's orders. I just sit here and wait for him.

But what's he going to do if I don't wait here for him? Suddenly, the tug of adventure pulls at me. Curiosity. Stubbornness.

I sneak out the door, avoiding the volleyball court where Will is still at.

Shadow travel would be the fastest mode of transportation. Plus, it'd make Will the angriest if I used that to get back to my cabin.

I slip into the shadows that aren't of the mortal realm, into the darkness. I feel the shadows pulling at me. Join us, son of Hades! Become one with the shadows. You're always so alone anyway.

I push past the shadows and back into the mortal realm. Luckily, I ended up back in the Hades cabin. The fire from the torches on the walls flicker as I pass by them to sit on my bed. The exhaustion from shadow jumping comes at me in waves. I'm not strong enough yet.

Should I go back to the infirmary? If I do, I'll have to pass Will. And I don't know if I can even make it that far.

Again, the exhaustion pulls at me, telling me to sleep.

Maybe for a little bit...

. . .

"You shouldn't have come here, Nico," a voice whispers in my ear, waking me up. My eyes flutter open at the sound of his voice. Of course, it's Will. He has his surgical outfit going on again. He must have been in the infirmary for a while.

"Really? What could you do to me? / You couldn't harm a tree." Oh no. No way. He didn't- no.

"I can make you rhyme all day! / Told you we'd have a talk; What did I say?" He replies as a big smile crosses his face.

It's annoying and cute on his face. Dazzling. Then I remember he cursed me.

"How could you? / What am I going to do?" I blush fiercely. Luckily, it's relatively dark in the cabin.

"Now the whole camp will know you pissed off an Apollo kid. You promised you'd stay. Don't worry, the Ares cabin had to go through it, too."

"Will Solace! / I never promised!" Anger floods through my body, but Will puts a hand on my wrist, which sets off an electric shock through my hand.

I pull back quickly.

"Okay, I did. / But you don't need to treat me like a kid."

"You shadow traveled again, didn't you Nico? After I told you not to," Will says. His smile melts off his face and instead he looks sad.

I immediately feel like I've disappointed him. I probably should have stayed in the infirmary.

"You still need rest, Nico. Your magic's not going to come back quickly. You're spent. Even though I joke around, you really need to listen to me," He tells me. "I'm going to spend a few days here with you and tell the other people in my cabin to take care of campers in the infirmary."

I can only nod as I watch him leave. I wait for a few minutes.

Blushing in the dark, I think about Will. He's awfully protective of me. But he's probably like this with all his patients, isn't he?

When he returns, he's back in a Camp Half Blood tank top. For once, I notice his muscles through the sleeves. His blue eyes sparkle more in the darkness of the torches in the cabin. With him is an armload of clothes, medical supplies, and a sleeping bag.

"We have beds in here, you know. / Although they seem mostly for show," I tell him, indicating the coffin I'm lying in and Hazel's across the room.

"I know that. I just need to be closer to you," he tells me.

He puts down his supplies on the floor next to my coffin. I really need to change up the decoration in here.

"Now, I don't know if you've looked in the mirror lately, but you are painfully skinny and it kills me to know how sleep deprived you've become." Will doesn't look up as he prepares his sleeping bag on the ground.

"I- "

"Nope, I haven't finished talking," he interrupts. "So you need to just relax. No strenuous camp activities. So you can go canoeing, do minimal archery, but no capture the flag or fighting in the arena."

"F- "

"Still not done," he interrupts again. He stands up and looks down at me lying in my coffin. "Of course, you can watch the activities, though."

"Fine, I'll listen to you. / But lift this curse of, too," I tell him.

He gives me a lopsided smile that shines like the sun. He closes his eyes and mutters for a few seconds.

"Okay, it's gone."

. . .

Over the next few days, Will stays by me. He doesn't spend all his time with me, of course, especially because he has to watch Neron. However, a good amount of time is devoted to me.

I secretly like the attention. I guess I made the right choice in staying at Camp Half Blood.

I enjoy watching him shoot arrows more than anything other activity. He teaches Neron to shoot, but Neron's not exactly the best. He was more prophecy-oriented before the spirit of Delphi stopped speaking to Apollo, apparently, so he didn't learn a lot of the physical activities that most Apollo kids did.

"Nico? Do you want to try archery?" Will asks me after he lets Neron try shooting on his own.

"I've never really tried," I respond truthfully.

He gives me a grin. "There's a first for everything. Come on! Don't worry, I suck, too."

Laughing, he grabs my arm and puts a bow in it. He shows me how to stand, how to knock the arrow, but I have trouble copying his movements.

"Put the bow horizontally. Yeah, like that. Now… No, not like that!" He puts his hands softly over mine and corrects me. My arms keep tingling at his touch, but at least he's not looking at my face to see the blush.

Once the arrow launches and successfully hits the target somewhere, he beams at me.

"I'm not the best at this," I admit. "I'm much better and healing and swordplay. You should get some practice, though. Who knows? You might be good at it."

Will contemplates this and nods. He grabs a bigger bow than the one in my hands from a rack behind us. Next to me, he knocks the arrow and looks at his target. The determined look on his face is stunning. He looks like a real warrior. In the same way that Percy used to stare down gods and giants, Will is so determined to knock down a simple straw dummy. Even if he's normally a healer, he just seems like he's confident. He releases the arrow and it flies to impale the dummy through a leg. He's not the best at shooting, clearly, out of all the Apollo kids, as he doesn't hit the head or vital body part, but it'd be enough to slow an enemy down for sure. Much better than my random shot.

Smiling, he turns to me. "What do you think?"

I bite my lips to hide my grin. "It was okay."

"Just okay?" He throws down his bow and stalks over to me, playfully punching me in the arm.

One of the other Apollo kids yells, "You suck, Solace!"

"Shut up! I bet you can't deliver a baby!" Will shouts back fiercely.

"It was better than mine," I tell him and this time I can't help smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'LL BE UPDATING AGAIN TOMORROW, NOT ANYMORE TODAY~  
> Please comment your reactions! SHOUTOUT TO mrs+rory+feshst / mrs rory feshst FOR MAKING ME LAUGH!  
> Don't forget to give kudos! Give comments! Bookmark!


	5. Magic Revelations ♥

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will discovers how much Nico actually means to him. This chapter is largely character-developmental. Humor is obviously still included :)

WILL'S POV  
\------

"Hey Will!" My cabin greets me with a chorus of shouts.

I've been in and out of the Apollo Cabin and the Hades Cabin in my attempt to stay with Nico, but still have a social life in Camp Half Blood. It's not that Nico doesn't have people that want to be friends with him or anything. He's just so withdrawn and sullen most of the time.

"Hi, guys. Anything exciting happening?"

"Nothing. It's been pretty dull since you left our cabin."

"I didn't leave the cabin!" I say. "It's temporary, remember?"

"Oh, sure it is," Kayla taunts. "How are things going with you and Nico?"

I hope they don't see me blushing. "He's getting much better. Things are… slow-going. But they're going."

"Ooooooooo!" The whole cabin grins at me.

"It's not like that!" I protest.

"Sure it isn't," Austin shouts.

"It's not!" I tell them defensively. "Now, if I'm correct, we have a capture the flag game to win!"

The whole cabin cheers, but Kayla manages to get a question in. "Is your boyfriend coming?"

"Nico's not well enough yet."

"Wait, so you guys are dating?!" The cabin is silent again, cracking smiles and staring at me.

"Wha- No! He's not…I didn't… I mean- " I've never been one to stumble over words, but as a deep flush colors my cheeks, I can't help wondering what Nico thinks of me.

I've prepared quite a few special weapons for tonight's game. I struggle to put my armor on as I grip my bow.

"Do you need help with that?"

I whirl around to see Nico leaning against a tree in the shade, blending into the shadows.

"Yeah, I do, actually," I admit. He helps me finish adjusting the straps of my armor.

"Good luck," he tells me quietly.

"We have the Athena Cabin, the Hermes Cabin, and the Hecate Cabin. What could go wrong?" I ask jokingly, although also slightly seriously.

"I just…" Nico starts nervously.

"What?"

"Never mind," he says, looking away.

"No, come on!"

"Get the flag and I'll tell you." Nico gives me a half smile. "You're sure I can't play?"

"Together, we'd be the sun and the angel in the darkness… but no, you can't. We'll make an amazing combination one day."

Why did I just say that aloud? It sounded more poetic and beautiful in my head. It's going to destroy anything we've ever had together- and Nico only thinks of me as a friend, a healer, an annoying doctor anyway.

Luckily, Nico doesn't say anything. He just nods. Stepping back, he melts into the shadows.

"Wait, Nico!" I call out impulsively. I can't see him at all and I'm worried that maybe he's already disappeared.

He steps out again, where it's brighter. "Yeah?"

"Just… don't shadow travel," I say lamely.

"Doctor's orders?" He gives me a half smile.

"Doctor's orders."

Again, he steps back and disappears into the shadows.

"That's really creepy, you know!" I say loudly.

I get no response, so I can only assume he's gone.

"Will!" I hear the shout behind me and I turn around. Lou Ellen's jogging up to me.

"Hi. So you know the plan, right?" I ask her.

"Yeah, of course. I'm with you in attack," she responds, biting her lip. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Since the battle, you've mostly been with Nico- "

"Oh, yeah. He was in pretty bad shape. I'm just getting him back to normal."

"That's all?"

"He needs a bit of a push from the healer." I give her a grin. "You know, I've missed talking to you! And Cecil- How's he doing?" All the social interaction I've had the past few days have really been geared toward Nico…

She blushes. "Oh, he's fine. I'm just… learning some new tricks." She grins. "Hazel taught me a few before she left for Camp Jupiter and I've been practicing. Turn around for a sec."

I turn around, waiting. Not knowing what to expect, I turn around after a few seconds.

In her place is Neron.

"Neron?" I ask cautiously.

Blinking, the image flickers, and suddenly, it's Lou Ellen again.

"I just did who you hate the most," she tells me happily. "He's a nasty one, isn't he? Yesterday, he almost shot an arrow at me in archery. Turn around again."

I do as I'm told and turn around.

"Hey, Will." I whirl around. It's Nico.

Wait, no. It's Lou Ellen.

Is it?

"What is it this time?" I ask to be cautious.

"The person you want to understand the most, the person you care about the most, and the person you don't want to lose."

She makes it sound like three people. Maybe it's meant to be, but those three categories have changed into one person. A few months ago and the people that would have appeared would be my dad, my mom, and my sister. Things have changed so much.

"I can't see who you see, so who is it?"

"Um," I start. I can't admit the truth. I just can't. "My dad. My mom. My sister."

The image flickers and once again, Lou Ellen smiles at me. "It looks so real, huh, Will?"

"It sure does."

"Lou Ellen! Will! We're about to start! Get into position!" A voice yells from behind me. It's probably someone from the Athena Cabin.

The game starts, but all I can think about is the fact that Nico was the one who meant those three things to me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you laughed, you should comment/give kudos/bookmark this story/this chapter! Or else Will might lose capture the flag! :'( Then we'll never get to know what Nico meant, oh no! Hehe. New chapter up tomorrow!


	6. Post Capture the Flag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solangelo heats up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just passed 1,700 views! Thank you so much for reading, everyone. I wrote it really late but ASDFGHJKL they make out so, um, yeah.

NICO'S POV  
\----------

The sun and the angel in the darkness... Were we really like that? Perfectly opposites?

I shouldn't have stayed and eavesdropped on Lou Ellen and Will. I'm apparently just another patient to Will, aren't I? A friend but nothing more. My cheeks grow hot. I shouldn't have stayed in Camp Half Blood for him.

Yet...somehow, I could see what Lou Ellen was to Will when she pulled an illusion. Something must have went wrong because I saw her turn into Neron just like Will did.

And then me.

What does this all mean? No one's cared about me like this since Bianca...

I walk back to the Hades Cabin. Will will find me eventually. I'm surprised that he actually thinks we're sleeping in the same cabin: I rarely fall asleep at night. I can't face sleep, the dreams I've been having. Instead, I watch Will sleep late at night. I observe the slow breathing and small puff of breath when he exhales. He has that concentrated look when he sleeps: the one he gets when doing archery.

Before I reach the cabin, I hear loud cheering erupt. The game must be over. Will is probably going to celebrate with his friends. Just my luck, I'll be sitting alone in the Hades Cabin with nothing to do.

I sit on my coffin bed with my legs stretched out and arms behind to support me. And wait.

I don't wait long.

A few minutes later, the door is open and Will enters. I look up at him. His face is bruised, but he looks as proud as ever. His armor is falling off in so many places that I'm surprised it hasn't dropped. His shirt is slashed with claw marks.

Wait, claw marks?

He shoves the flag in my face. I inch my face away and let out a smile laugh. "I got the flag." He shuts the door behind him. ""Now, what were you going to tell me before the game?"

He sits next to me in the same position, but he's a lot taller than me, so he bends his legs. Too close. I feel the heat of him, warming me up, spreading to me.

"Ummm... Nothing. I don't remember," I say nervously.

"Bullshit!" He calls, laughing. He looks me in the eyes with that blue, piercing gaze.

"I was going to say..."

"I'll know if you lie." He grabs my left wrist, throwing me off balance. I know he's taking my pulse, but I can't help that my heart quickens at the touch. I pull it away, hoping he didn't have long enough to really take my pulse.

He laughs and it sounds so perfectly melodic. My heart beats impossibly faster.

"Come on, Nico. You can trust me, can't you?"

"I-I-I- " I stutter, not able to form the words. How is he so infuriatingly calm about this?

"You were going to say you were worried about me, didn't you?"

"Y-yeah."

He leans impossibly close and I can practically feel his blond hair brushing my face.

"Will," I manage to say.

Then he grabs my wrists which have been supporting me, so I tip toward the bed. In one fluid motion, Will releases my wrists and catches my back with his arm.

I lie there, stunned, in his arms, blushing. With him on top of me, though it's not a crushing weight.

"Kiss me," he whispers. "Doctor's orders."

I press my lips to his without hesitation.

A thousand colors explode in my mind as we kiss. His warmth slowly spreads through me, all consuming.

His arm explores my back, gripping onto the black fabric and scrunching it up. My hands somehow end up inside the back of his shirt with the other wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. His chest is almost pressed into mine, but the weight doesn't feel overbearing.

Suddenly, the lid to my coffin slams on top of him and he's pushed impossibly closer to me.

He ends the kiss and rolls onto the empty space next to me, laughing. "Wow... that was... wow."

I nod silently, breathing hard and unsure of what to say. Normally, any sort of physical contact is uncomfortable.. but that felt so right.

His chest is so open and exposed. He's so tall that I lay my head on it. I listen to the beat of his heart. ThaThumpThaThump.

It beats as fast as mine and I can't help but smile. I've been smiling so much lately that my face muscles rarely hurt anymore.

"Your coffin is ridiculously creepy, though," Will says lightly. He pushes the lid off and sits up. His shirt is pretty much shredded and his jeans are facing a downward slant.

"You need a new tank top," I blurt out. "Not that... I, uh, mind looking at your... chest."

He laughs with that melodic tune of his and throws off whatever remains of his tank top, revealing his abs with a defined six pack.

"I've been wondering how you didn't know I liked you sooner. Gods, you're dense, Nico!"

"Me?! How am I the dense one? You're the one that can't see that you're kinda leading on Lou Ellen! What am I supposed to think?"

"Lou Ellen? What?" His face screws up in confusion. "Oh no. I didn't- no."

I look up at him expectantly.

"Crap. I didn't know. I was too busy, you know, paying attention to you."

I nod, slightly flustered.

"Oh, forget about her. We're friends. I'll talk to her." He looks at me sincerely and smiles. "Don't be jealous of her."

I flush. "I'm not!"

"You totally are."

"No! Am not."

"You can't even see yourself. You're getting your olive skin tone back, but you're still pale and your blush shows. Trust me."

Instinctively and without much hesitation, I say, "I do trust you."

"Good. You're blushing then. Now kiss me."

"Doctor's orders?"

"Doctor's orders."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE KUDOS/COMMENT/BOOKMARK FOR MORE! I started a new fanfiction- It's a collection of random PJO/HoO One Shots. It's called Post War. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! xx


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another emotional chapter involving Nico and Will... with some humor at the end ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT, WILL X NICO'S SHIPNAME IS SOLANGELO :)  
> I STARTED A NEW FANFICTION- It's a collection of random PJO/HoO One Shots. It's called Post War. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! xx
> 
> ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

WILL'S POV  
\---------

That night, I decide to stay up and listen to Nico sleep. I always happen to fall asleep before him, but this time I'm staying awake.

I still haven't mentioned that the circles under Nico's eyes are only getting darker, which can only mean one thing: He's not actually sleeping.

"Goodnight, Nico," I whisper into the dark after I'm in my sleeping bag for the night.

"Mmmmm," he mumbles sleepily. Could this be the night he actually falls asleep due to his collective exhaustion? I stare up at his coffin, but I can't see him due to the raised sides.

I hear his breathing start to slow, though. Gradually, his breath steadily evens out. Inhale. Exhale. Innnhaaaale. Exxxhaaaale. Innnhaaaale. Exxxhaaaale. Innnhaaaale. Exxxhale.

I stare around the cabin while I wait. Several coffins with no people in them have their lids closed. They're glossy, black, and images of skulls dance around across them. The green fire of the torches lining the wall casts a fiery glow. The only other furniture is a table next to Nico's bed, with a slot that currently holds his Stygian Iron blade.

I shift loudly in my sleeping bed to see Nico's reaction, but he breathes normally. He must be deep in sleep. I watch more skeletons dance in the neighboring coffins happily.

Suddenly, the shadows around me seem to get darker. The air grows colder and I shiver. I glance up at Nico and blurry outlines of ghosts start to appear. Unintelligible whispers fill the air and I hear a quiet, distant howl.

Scrambling out of my sleeping bag, I thank the gods for my long legs as I leap toward Nico's coffin, beating a ghost that's slowly making its way over to him.

"Nico!" I shout loudly. No response.

I look down at him and almost jump back in shock. His body looks like it's dissolving into shadow and ghost at once. Half his face is slowly becoming translucent, while the other one fills with an inky cloud. He's shivering as the two forces spread throughout his body, reaching his neck...

I grab him. "Nico!"

"No!" He shouts blindly. Then, he jolts awake and the ghosts dissolve. His face returns to normal. He continues to shake, though.

"W-Will?" He asks weakly, looking up at me.

I pull him into an embrace, his head in my chest. "What happened?"

"Tart- the n-nightmare- screaming..." he stumbles over his words, looking lost.

"You're okay, now," I whisper comfortingly.

"I- I..." He's at a loss for words and he cries into my shirt.

"Shhhh... It's going to be okay," I tell him, meaning it.

He pulls out of the embrace to wipe his eyes. "D-Do you- "

"Do I ever get nightmares?" I answer. "Yeah, all the time."

He nods slowly. "I- I mean they're normal as a d-demigod..."

"Yeah, but you started to literally dissolve into shadow... and ghost."

"Sometimes I shadow travel automatically when I'm sc- scared or feeling a strong emotion. As for turning ghostly, I suppose that'd have to do with... my dream." He hesitates before continuing. "It was about Bianca and Tartarus and Gaea, all in one."

I don't press him further. Instead, I push myself onto the edge of his bed. "My mother and my sister died a few years ago. And I couldn't save them." I sigh heavily. "That's one of the reasons I try so... hard to heal everyone."

He gulps and nods, calming down. He stops shaking, luckily.

I continue, "And after the Battle of Manhattan... They got really bad. Must have been the same for every demigod, but I used so much magic to heal everyone. So many injuries."

"I was in the Underworld for most of the war, begging my dad to help. I... missed most of that."

"When we lost Michael Yew because Percy collapsed the Manhattan Bridge, all of us Apollo kids felt it, even though Percy wanted to keep looking. That sinking feeling just wouldn't go away. I keep seeing Annabeth after Ethan Nakamura attempted to stab Percy, too. The poison was eating away at her. It was terrible to heal, but I had to, even though I was so tired. But that was probably nothing like Tartarus."

I don't know how demigods do it every night. I bet Percy sees Luke, Beckendorf, all the people he couldn't save. How does it not overwhelm him?

"Tartarus..." Nico echoes. "It was the worst place you could imagine times a hundred. There was a river of fire and someone was always whispering, telling me to give up. And when I had to eat Persephone's pomegranates, wondering if anyone would come..." He trails off, going quiet.

"And you felt like you were dead." I fill in the blanks for myself. I know from his expression that I had guessed correctly.

We sit there for a few more seconds. I promise myself to pray to the gods for Nico so that he can get better dreams. An idea sparks into my mind as I think.

I stand up and grab Nico's arm. "Come on. I have to show you something!"

A few days ago, I had seen Jason and Piper atop Cabin One, laughing and stargazing in the middle of the night. I decide to implement that. We go outside to the side of the cabin. I scale it easily, like the climbing wall at camp. Nico has a little trouble and I have to pull him up.

I point out the major constellations: Pegasus, Sagittarius, Aquila. I also point out the Huntress, which was Zoe Nightshade's constellation. The Hunters drilled it into our heads the last time they came, so that we could always honor her.

"I know that one," Nico says quietly. "They lost Bianca on that quest."

I stop talking about the Huntress.

"The sunrise is always interesting."

He snorts. "Until you actually ride Apollo's... chariot... and crash land it in the lake, you don't know how interesting," Nico responds, giving me a small smile. "Your dad said I was too young to drive."

I snort and ruffle his hair. "You're still too young to drive."

He reddens at that.

"Think about it. Can raise dead army. Can't drive," I joke.

"Better than Apollo's son: Can deliver baby. Can't do archery," he shoots back.

"Touché."

A yellow-orange glow starts arriving from the east.

"There's Dad, I suppose." I grin, thinking of the time his chariot crash landed in the canoe lake.

"Must be glad to see you here, watching him come."

"I've actually woken up to watch him."

I casually put my arm around him, which sparks no reaction. "There's a first time for everything."

He leans closer to me as we sit together and watch Apollo's sports car streak across the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to comment, give kudos, and bookmark!  
> I STARTED A NEW FANFICTION- It's a collection of random PJO/HoO One Shots. It's called Post War. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! xx


	8. Not Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico starts to get... a little less ignored :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: VERY IMPORTANT: I won't be updating much in the next 2 weeks cuz I have this test thing called the ACT and I can't be writing fanfiction when I have to study for it. THEREFORE, I won't have more than 3 MAXIMUM chapters over the next two weeks. I'm REALLY REALLY sorry, but this test literally defines my college path. PLEASE keep checking back for updates because I promise I'll be able to get some more up soon.
> 
> And I'm thinking around 15-20 chapters for this fanfic but I'm not sure yet. I haven't decided the direction of the story, yet.
> 
> Don't forget to check out my other fanfictions, including my collection of one shots called Post War!

NICO'S POV  
\-------

"I'm going back to my cabin!" Will announces in the morning.

"What? Why?"

We had just watched the sun rise together, watched Apollo's sports car streak past us and leave a trail of sun shaped stickers behind. How bizarre. But I guess that was Apollo's way of saying Thank you for saving the world, demigods! Here's some stickers for your trouble.

What Will liked the most was that he got new medical supplies that appeared on the roof of the Hades Cabin too. Apollo seemed to be acknowledging Will specifically with that. He must have been watching us.

"I'm pretty sure that once you talked about it, your nightmares won't be that scary anymore. Your intensive treatment is over, now, which means I won't be breathing down your neck every five seconds about your health," Will responds proudly. "But if any trouble comes, you can just shadow travel to me. I am 99% sure you'll be right to shadow travel a few times once again!"

I smile despite the fact that Will's leaving my cabin. "Well, you'll have cabin counselor responsibilities again."

"Indeed, I do. I've been leaving my cabin alone for far too long." He pauses, considering his words. "Well, not alone, but you know what I mean."

I would always be alone in the Hades cabin. Hazel wouldn't come for a long time, unless the Romans came for a visit.

"I know what you're thinking," Will tells me with a twinkle in his eye. "You're feeling alone. But you're not alone, Nico. You have so many people that want to be your friend, like Cecil and Lou Ellen. I'm sure you know Annabeth, Jason, and Piper well enough to bond with them quickly."

I know I'll have trouble fitting in. "I'll try. For you."

"For yourself," he corrects. "Now I'm going to lug this stuff back to my cabin. Want to help?"

"Sure, why not?"

. . .

"Are you staying for good, Will?"

The comments from all the Apollo kids fly around me. They're all so excited to get Will back. They don't ignore me either, surprisingly.

"How have you been Nico?"

"Are you healing alright? Will's been totally concerned about you!"

I give them all muttered answers, not used to the attention. Some of the kids whisper to each other and giggle. My cheeks burn, guessing the topic of their conversations. This causes them to giggle and whisper more until one of the girls asks loudly, "So are you two dating?"

Will's eyes give an icy grin that could've stopped a wildfire in its tracks. The cabin silences and looks at us expectantly. Will exchanges a glance with me as I try to suppress a grin.

"Yes, we are," Will says, sighing, as the cabin cheers all around us. I manage a half smile as half the cabin goes to lift up Will in a celebratory crowd surf. "It's not that big of a deal!" He protests to no avail.

I just watch him, laughing internally, then smirk. I punch him on the arm as they carry him past me. "What do you mean it's not a big deal, Solace?"

"Oh, shut up, Nico!" The cabin roars ever so louder in laughter and applause. They approve.

I feel approved. I feel accepted. They begin to raise me up, too, laughing and cheering.

. . .

"You'll be fine tonight. No nightmares, I promise," Will assures me. Outside the Hades Cabin, he came to see me before I go to sleep.

I feel like a scared ten year old facing a manticore again. I want to run. I want to stay with Will, the only person that will truly understand my nightmares because I've opened up to him about it. "How do you know for sure?" I ask, anxiously rubbing my arms in the cooling wind.

"I prayed to the gods. I know they'll help you." He pauses for a second, long enough for me to look up at his face and wonder what's wrong. He proceeds to putting his arms around me, resting his chin on my neck. The warmth of our bodies together is calming.

"And if they don't? They're always ignoring us," I answer.

"Then you can shadow travel into my cabin and talk to me." I nod, wanting to stay in his arms because it feels so safe, so right. He whispers close to me, "The shadows aren't your only solace, anymore, Nico. I'm here for you and you'll never be alone."

I breathe deeply and slowly nod. I'm ready to face the nightmares if they come and embrace any good dreams that might come my way.

None of them occur- neither a bad dream nor a good dream. Instead, a goddess talks to me.

I blink in surprise in the dream. I can tell from the sounds, the smells, the sights... I'm in the Lotus Casino. That itself could have been a nightmare, but at least I wasn't stuck there. What I don't remember in the Lotus Casino is a shop with racks and racks of clothing. A woman browsing through them looks familiar as she studies me across the shop. I walk over to her, bowing relatively low.

"Rise, hero! No need to bow. This is an informal meeting!" She tells me cheerfully. Her voice is interesting, a symphony of different sounds. I stand up to full height and look at her.

Her eyes keep changing. Blue. Green. Blue-green, gray. It was like they couldn't decide. Her hair changed even more rapidly. Dark brown, light brown, blond, brown.

"Hmmm... why can't I get you right, Nico di Angelo?" She muses. Then she gives a giggle in realization. "Oh, I see."

I practically wilt into a pool of blush. "Yeah, I don't like... girls."

Immediately, as if sensing my words, everything stops changing about her appearance, settling with elaborate wavy hair and warm brown eyes. This must be how Aphrodite normally looks. She flips through a rack of clothes. I really don't recall the casino ever having such a large selection of clothing styles, but I don't mention it again. She's a goddess. She can do whatever the Hades she wants.

"You've had such an emotional encounter with Cupid!" She shouts spontaneously, looking at me with glee.

I feel myself blushing even more impossibly red. I still look defiantly in her eyes when she stares at me, though.

Aphrodite holds up a black sweatshirt with a bloodstain in the middle in my direction. All of a sudden, my clothes flash and I'm wearing the sweatshirt instead.

I cry out quickly as the blood seems to spread, looking at her incredulously. She frowns. "No, that doesn't look good on you, does it?"

She snaps and my old black t-shirt reappears. "So, Cupid," she starts. "At that time, you liked Percy. Is that about right?"

"Yeah," I grumble. There is no reason to lie to the goddess- I'm sure she knows all about my love life.

She nods. "That wasn't working out, dear. It wouldn't have worked in any of the Fates' designs. It simply was not possible." I'm not entirely sure if she's trying to be genuinely honest and sympathetic or just stating the fact. She flips through the racks again, inspecting both Roman and Greek camp clothes.

"Gee, I needed that vote of confidence," I tell her sarcastically, rolling my eyes at her. "Well, you know I don't like Percy anymore, anyway."

"Yes, of course. He... will have a tough life ahead, as all demigods do, but I think his relationship with Annabeth could do with a lucky streak for a while. They're Olympus' favorite couple right now." She holds up a black leather and dark mineral infused breastplate, zapping it onto me. Surprisingly, it fit very well.

"Time to add that to the shopping basket!" A shopping cart appears out of nowhere and the breastplate flies in. Yep, definitely not in the Lotus Casino when I was there.

"It's okay. With Percy, I mean. Now I have Will," I say. Warmly, I picture his smiling face and blond hair.

"Yes! I am rooting on you too, don't worry!" She gives a laugh, full of wonder and humor. "That boy sure is something. Compliments to Apollo, I suppose, although he'd do better with more archery skills. Perhaps Apollo can help him with that." She's flipping through the racks again. "It's interesting to think that you finally noticed him."

"What do you mean? I've only gotten close to him recently."

"That may be true, but he's been trying to get your attention for years. Poor boy. You were always so infatuated with Percy that he had no place in your life. But that's a story for him to tell."

Reluctantly, I nod. The story isn't for Aphrodite to explain. I trust that Will eventually will tell me.

Aphrodite holds up a sparkling gold gown, she turns to me and asks me. "How would this look on Piper?"

"Um..." I'm not one to really give fashion advice, of course. "I think it'll really bring out her brown eyes."

"It would, wouldn't it? And, ah, this dress for my dear Lacy." A peach colored dress zooms into the shopping cart. "And this, and this..." She trails off, but clothes continue to fly into the cart. "A new wardrobe for everyone! What a magical day tomorrow will be when everyone wakes up with new clothes! They'll think they've hit the jackpot on pleasing me. But no one's given such nice recognition to the demigods for fighting the giants and Gaea."

"I could do with some magical good luck," I suggest.

"No, no, that wouldn't be interesting!" Aphrodite protests.

"It's interesting enough for me!" I defend.

"Well, you could do without jealousy for Lou Ellen. She is only a crutch for Will, anyway. No romantic interest at all."

I can't help myself. "Really? I thought..."

"Nico di Angelo," she scolds, wagging a finger at me. "You misunderstand affection. You misinterpret! Shame!"

"It's not like I've had anyone to love me in my life. Except Bianca... and she's gone." It still hurt to think about her.

Aphrodite looks at me fondly, but sadly. "Well, lucky for you, no one will love you like Will. You have been rather... lonely. But you need to reach out a little more."

"I am," I promise. I will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: almost 3k views in a week. WOW. You blow me away. PLEASE GIVE KUDOS/COMMENT/BOOKMARK FOR MORE FUN!   
> IF YOU DON'T, MAYBE APHRODITE WILL RUIN YOUR LOVE LIFE!   
> Check out my other fanfictions, especially Post War, my collection of one shots taking place after Blood of Olympus. THANKS xx


	9. End of Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of the summer and the demigods are heading to... the beach?!?!

WILL'S POV

When I wake up, half the cabin is staring down at me.

"Huh?" I ask, still too tired to form a complete sentence.

"It's the last day of summer, Solace."

"Which means?"

"Well, for one, you have to hand in your slip saying you'll stay for the year!" someone replies in the back. A girl named Daisy. She's only been here for a year, but her constant excitement always makes people cheer up. "You're staying, right?"

"Oh, yeah." I smile in her direction. "I've been meaning to do that, but I've been putting it off," I finish, still blinking out some spots in my eyes.

"Model cabin counselor!" Someone else shouts in the back, causing everyone to laugh.

"Shut up! Okay, what else?"

"Well, the camp's been planning to go on a trip to the beach since the war ended..."

"Wait, when did this happen?" I yawn, putting my hands behind my head to prop me up.

"Um, it's kinda been happening for the past few weeks. I'm surprised you haven't noticed," Kayla says, right near my bed.

"I-I- Have there been signs? Or just people talking about it?"

"Uh, they announced it at the end of capture the flag. Before our campfire songs started, at dinner."

"Wow, I must have really not been paying attention," I admit. I try to remember any notice of the beach trip in the past few weeks. Nothing.

"Lay off him, guys. He's obviously just been too distracted with Nico!" The cabin explodes with laughter at that and I groan loudly.

"What do I have to do?" I ask, gritting my teeth.

"Tell Chiron if our cabin says yes or no to the trip, duh," Austin says, somewhere to my left.

"And what does the cabin say?"

"Yes!" They all chorus.

"Fine, I'll go tell him. Now you all get away from my bed."

They all scramble away, chattering with joy. I shake my head and just take in the whole sight. How did my life turn into this?

. . .

"By unanimous vote, we are going to the beach!" Chiron announces as we are all eating breakfast.

Most of the camp's already cheering.

"Campers! Campers!" Chiron calls, quieting us all. "Remember that weapons are extremely important. Along with sunscreen, please put them in your bags!"

"It's so dangerous, though. Why are they letting us go to the beach?" I ask Austin next to me.

"Well, because some minor gods and goddesses are being recognized at camp. they said they'd help keep us safe. Anyway, stop worrying! We have Percy with us right next to the ocean. It won't be too bad if we get attacked," he responds.

That's true. Sometimes it's great that the campers are from all different godly parents. Normally, they cause fights, especially between Athena and Ares kids, but the cooperation of camp in general... we support each other's strengths and weaknesses.

"Let's go pack!" Kayla says eagerly. Our cabin's already starting to trickle out and leave.

We run to our cabin hurriedly and grab backpacks or any bags for the beach. I grab a backpack and stuff two Camp Half Blood tank tops, a pair of swim trunks, a towel, and a pair of jean shorts.

"Sunscreen, everyone!" Connor Stoll walks through the doors with a bag full of sunscreen and tosses a small bottle to everyone. "If you don't put on sunscreen, you can have fun burning!"

I realize that I've missed being in a cabin the past few days. Being with Nico was so grounding, but it was often a little lonely. As the cabin finishes packing and jump up and down excitedly, I realize that this closeness really helped me to open me up. Especially considering how broken I'd been when... No, I would not think about the family I lost in the wake of an adventure.

"Sunglasses, too!" Travis arrives next to his brother and tosses everyone a pair. They're all different, some with bigger frames, some with darker lenses.

"Did you steal these?" Neron asks in the corner. He's really fit into the camp, not holding a grudge anymore. But I still don't talk to him.

"Um... I'm not qualified to answer that!" Travis replies, dashing out the door with his brother right behind him.

I smile at that, remembering when were actually told to raid stores in the Battle of Manhattan. Then I frown. There's no reason to be smiling over that battle with the amount of losses that we've had.

I finish packing my bag, but I realize I don't know what weapons to bring. I suck at archery and I suck at sword fighting. All around me, my brothers and sisters grab small bows and arrows, and I'm left with nothing.

"Here." Neron passes me a small dagger, watching me gape at the other campers packing weapons. "Have you ever tried fighting with knives? I'm better at them than archery and sword fighting."

I look at him, hesitating.

"Look, can't you forgive me? I was full of hate and now I see that Octavian just wasn't the right augur." Stubbornly, I nod my head at the admission. "I was wrong about this camp. Since I've been here, everyone's been so accepting. It's loads different than Camp Jupiter, where everyone has to act tough."

I can't stay mad at someone who's just been raised to defend and survive all his life. Before camp, I was in a similar situation. "Just have fun at the beach, today." I take the dagger from his hand and smile. He smiles in return, a genuine one.

"Heeey, Wiiiill! Your boyfriend is here to seeee youuuu!" Daisy draaaags out the vowels in a singsong way.

Immediately, everyone's attention turns to Nico at the door, who's looking a little shy, if not uncomfortable. With a wide smile, I take in his black tank top and dark blue shorts.

"Hey, Will. Um, can I talk to you for a second?" He asks, just looking at me and avoiding the gazes of the rest of the cabin.

I throw the dagger Neron gave me into my bag. "Sure. Everyone, make sure you have your weapons with you!" I walk over to Nico who turns to lead me out of the cabin. We stand under a window on the side of the cabin.

"I didn't have any nightmares last night," he starts.

"That's great!" I wrap my arms around him and embrace him. He freezes up for a second before relaxing and taking the hug.

We stand there together for a few seconds before he pulls away. "But I did have a rather interesting talk with a goddess."

I nod. It happens. "Which one?"

He blushes a deep pink. "Aphrodite."

I can't help but smile at that. "Really?"

"Yeah. She sent gifts for everyone at camp, apparently. Some blessings, some clothes, which are not-so-conveniently stacked in my cabin instead of in theirs."

I laugh. "What did you get?"

He shrugs. "A lecture, I suppose. Embarrassment."

"That's somewhat... believable. Do you need help bringing the stuff around?" I ask. I can't imagine him going into cabin after cabin, bringing around clothes.

"Yeah, but not today. I... actually just wanted to, um, see you. And talk to you. Just in general."

"Awww!" Some of the members in my cabin pop their heads out of the window above us.

"Great, we have an audience." On second thought, Nico should have known better. Of course my siblings would eavesdrop.

My cabin starts to chant quietly, slowly growing louder. "Kiss, kiss, kiss!"

I blush lightly before I put my arms around him and pull him into a kiss.

At that exact moment, members of the Aphrodite cabin happen to be passing by and they join in on the cheering.

By the time I pull away, Percy, Annabeth, and Jason have joined the crowd. Jason smirks at Percy.

"You owe me a drachma, Jackson!" Jason yells.

"B-b-ut..."Percy splutters.

Annabeth pats his shoulder. "You're definitely not his type, Percy."

My cabin comes pouring out and exchanges money with the Aphrodite cabin.

"You all bet on us?" I ask in disbelief, laughing.

"Pretty much," Piper says. "Especially this morning, after some of us may have received a... feeling that you guys are dating."

There's some of the embarrassment Aphrodite promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I did another chapter for you since I'm not sure when my next update will be. Please GIVE KUDOS, MAKE LOVELY COMMENTS, and BOOKMARK! Keep checking back from an update! Be sure to check out my fanfiction called Post War, which is a collection of one shots :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The demigods go to the beach!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY FOR LATENESS! I took my ACT on Saturday, so I'll be updating regularly, every 1-3 days again ;)

NICO'S POV  
. . . . . . . . . 

"Finally!" Jason yells, running to the water at the beach. Without even flinching at the cold water, he plunges right into the sea and whoops, with Percy close behind him. Of course, Percy wouldn't even feel the water.

Piper and Annabeth slowly pick their way through the hot sand and set up a little shaded tent, complete with towels. They put on sunblock and just watch me as I walk across the sand. Hot, hot, hot! The sand is assaulting my feet with its extremely painful heat. Do none of the other demigods notice this?

When I reach the other demigods spread out around the sand and head to the water, I look around for Will. We weren't in the van together because I shadowtraveled, but I'm pretty sure we arrived at the same time. I spot him lying down with sunglasses over his eyes, suntanning. He must be closing his eyes because he doesn't notice me as I jog over to him.

"Hey, Will!" One of his siblings beat me to him and I stop short.

Startled, Will sits up with his sunglasses still over his eyes. He breaks out into a smile as he sees his half brother over him. "Hey, Austin! What's up?"

"A couple of us are going surfing! Want to join?"

Will laughs. "Are you kidding me? I was born knowing to surf!" He reaches behind him and grabs a surfboard that had been lying in the sand. Austin jogs away and I approach Will.

He looks up from his chair, still smiling. "Hey Nico! Did you put on sunscreen?"

"N-not yet," I stammer. Why is he asking about sunscreen?

"Tsk, tsk, you'll get nasty sunburns if you don't! C'mon, doctor's orders! Put on some sunscreen!"

"I'm beginning to hate the phrase, doctor's orders," I grumble.

Will reaches into his bag and grabs the bottle of sunscreen. "Take off your shirt."

Muttering in annoyance, I take off the black tank top I chose to wear today and let him spread the sunscreen on my back.

He pauses after a few seconds. "Those scars..."

I blush, slightly embarrassed. "You can thank Gaea for that."

"I wouldn't thank her for anything. Except maybe giving me an excuse to talk to you more forcefully than I ever have before." He turns me around and puts sunscreen around my shoulders.

I don't look at his eyes, or I suppose, his sunglasses.

"If you keep blushing like that, someone's really going to think you have a sunburn," Will tells me, his light smile replaced with a mischievous smirk.

"You talked to me before I left for the quest?"

His smirk turns into a neutral expression. It's amazing how fast he can go through emotions. "A lot of people tried getting through to you after the Battle of Manhattan, you know."

"I- I always thought everyone was pushing me away after that," I admit. "I didn't exactly get a cabin to welcome me back as a hero, anyway."

"Well, at least your cabin wasn't falling apart." He moves on to put sunscreen down my chest. I look at the water in the distance to avoid watching him.

I whisper truthfully, "My cabin was falling apart."

In silence, he continues to "help" me put on sunscreen, even though I'm pretty sure my chest has plenty of it on me.

Will sighs and suddenly pulls me into a hug, leaving me surprised.

"I can't fix the past for you, Nico. But at least I can give you a better future. I did try to talk to you sometimes, trying to come up with the courage to talk to you. Finally, when you left, I was so scared, thinking I'd never get to tell you if you died in Greece or wherever." Will pulls away, but continues to hold my shoulders. He gives me a sad smile and pushes his sunglasses up into his hair so he can look me straight in the eyes. "And then you showed up out of nowhere and I could only thank the gods for that. But then I realized, the gods weren't really there for us, they weren't there for you. And only your friends could be, I could be. So I told myself to suck it up and talked to you directly."

I nod into his shoulder as he pulls me back into a hug, feeling the heat from our bare chests pressed against each other.

"Hey! If you guys are done with your PDA, we're going surfing!" Austin yells at us from near the water at us. Around him, a bunch of Apollo and Athena kids are together, giving us large grins. Annabeth, Percy, Piper, and Jason are with them as well.

"Coming!" Will shouts back at them, laughing. Then he looks at me. "Well, almost done."

Smiling, he presses his lips to mine. I feel flustered butterflies through me, but I shove them down. No need to be nervous anymore. Will's your boyfriend now.

Will pulls away and takes my hand. He grabs his surfboard and runs to the other campers, whooping. He doesn't let go until he gets onto the board.

. . .

"Why don't you surf, Percy?" Annabeth teases Percy as we watch most of the other campers surf.

"I told you, Annabeth: I've never tried!"

"You should try!" I tell Percy cheerfully.

"You're just happy because your boyfriend can surf!" He shoots back.

I gloat, "No wonder you're not my type, Jackson. You can't surf like he can! Nor can you look as good as he does surfing!" I beam at Will as I watch him navigate the waves easily.

"I could just ride the water easily," Percy grumbles.

"That's cheating!" Jason pops up next to him. "Everyone would know if you were actually riding the wave."

"Where did he even learn to surf?" Piper appears next to him with shells in her hands.

"I'm not sure. He never told me," I reply.

"Secrets are bad," Annabeth scolds.

"Monsters are bad. Fights are bad. Dying is bad. There are a lot of bad things in life," I respond. "We just learn to deal with them."

She tilts her head as if slightly confused for a few seconds before saying, "When did you get so wise?" She ruffles my hair, making everyone laugh as I complain about it.

"You know, you should try surfing with him," Jason suddenly says after we continue to watch Will for a few seconds. He wiggles his eyebrows for emphasis.

"I bet he'll teach you!" Piper exclaims, starting to grab my arm. Our little group joins in and pushes me toward the water.

"Stop pushing me! Stop!" I whine as they drag me over to the edge of the water. They just keep laughing.

Will starts to swim back to us with a big smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Busy week! I'll post a fanfiction one shot on my other fanfiction: Post War, with a Halloween theme or something hehe! I'm not sure how much of this fanfic I'll get done in the next few days or so, therefore, keep checking back often! I reached 3K VIEWS! WOW! You readers are AMAZING! Please give kudos/comment/bookmark for more fanfiction FUN!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some beach conversations...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hit 11.5k on fanfiction.net and I'm almost at 4k hits here! Thank you for all your support! Don't forget to GIVE KUDOS, COMMENT, and bookmark!

WILL'S POV  
...

"And then you just feel the water beneath you and go along with it!" I shout at Nico as I watch him learn to surf. He's a quick learner.

I see Nico get defeated by a particularly big wave.

Okay, maybe not an incredibly fast learner.

I swim over to him and grab his board. Handing it to him, I offer a little smile.

"I'm not good at this," he complains.

"Do you want to do something else?" I ask, with a grin on my face. Multiple ideas pop into my head. Just going for a walk on the beach, building sandcastles, playing beach volleyball...

Nico nods.

"Just the two of us or with other people?"

"I guess... just us."

We walk back to our towels and dry off. I plop down into the sand after a good rub down. I flatten the sand to prepare for sand castles.

"Percy! Can I get some water in my bucket?" I yell at Percy as he passes by with Annabeth.

With the flick of an arm and a smile, water shoots out from the ocean and into my bucket.

"Thanks!" I reply cheerfully.

I start to build the Apollo Cabin with the sand, taking water little by little from the bucket. A few times my hand brushes Nico's, making me smile. I glance briefly at Nico's creation from time to time. Even though I can tell it's a building and well sculpted, I don't recognize the structure.

Casually, I make small talk while I build the Artemis Cabin across the Apollo Cabin. "Did you like surfing?"

"It was okay." Nico seems to be building some sort of a gate. "It was better because you taught me pretty well. Clearly, I'm not the best."

"Yeah, that's obvious. It was your first time surfing, wasn't it?"

"Yep," Nico replies, still building.

I finish the Artemis Cabin slowly. I make arrows in the sand, sculpted finely so that the arrow looks like it could shoot. I wonder if the gods appreciate their kids making small representations of their power. Even if it's just sand sculpting, it's still something of worship.

"I'm done," Nico tells me quietly.

"What is it?" The building appears to be a castle- No, a palace.

Oh.

"It's my dad's palace in the Underworld."

I'm not sure what to say. "Do you miss it?"

"I've had some bad experiences there. But it was the only place I could go besides Camp Half Blood. And Camp Jupiter, of course. Cerberus liked to play with me. Persephone hated me. I got Percy thrown in Underworld jail. I have a room there. I convinced my father to fight in the Battle of Manhattan. It was a combination of ups and downs. It was mostly home, though. No one bothered me, but I still felt lonely," Nico explains. He gives me a slightly manic grin. "I'll take you there sometime, introduce you to my father."

"Ummm, that's a little scary," I tell him sheepishly. As much as a "meet the parents thing" is part of a relationship, no one else has to meet a dad like Hades.

"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like the Underworld anyway. Too... dark. No sunshine, ever. Death everywhere," Nico tells me lightly.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't."

"I'll still take you sometime," Nico says devilishly.

"I'd rather not," I respond quickly.

He just smiles and goes back to building his sand castle- er, Underworld. I sit there awkwardly, watching him build.

"What about your dad?" Nico asks suddenly.

"What about him?"

"Will I, you know, have to meet him?" He asks, looking slightly anxious.

"Haven't you already met him?" I ask, giving a laugh, all the while joking.

"You know what I mean!"

"I guess. Eventually. If you want. I'm not really sure."

Nico goes back to building again.

"Hey, why don't we go for a walk?" I ask. This conversation seems uncomfortable for both of us.

"Sure!" He seems happy to avoid the conversation, too.

Nico leaps up and comes to my side. "Let's avoid these conversations from now on."

"Okay. Just remember conversations need to be talked out later. But let's save that for another time because we are going to take a cliche walk down the shoreline like a cheesy, romantic couple."

After a few seconds, he gives me a peck on the cheek. "Is that an order, Doctor Will?"

"You bet it is!" With a wink, I grab his arm and bring him to the shoreline.

We walk hand in hand as the sun sets around us. Somewhere above us, I bet my dad is smiling. I can't say the same for Hades, but... it'll take time.

. ..

"You're going to miss the bonfire if you don't come back, Solangelo!" Jason shouts at me from nearby.

"Solangelo?" I shout back. "What does that mean?"

"It's your ship name!"

"Ship name? What does that mean?" We reach Jason and I can see the smile plastered all over his face.

"That means you're a couple or a potential couple and we support you being together! And that's the name of you two together," Piper tells us by Jason's side.

"And we ship it," Jason tells me cheerfully.

"So we established your ship name as Solangelo," Piper finishes.

"Oh, uh, that's kind of you..." Nico responds, taking his hand from mine to uncomfortably scratch his head in awkwardness.

I pull him close again and kiss him lightly on the lips. "I think it's perfect," I say, loudly enough for Piper and Jason to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, though, if you love Solangelo, you should GIVE KUDOS and COMMENT ;)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone. i know I haven't updated in a long time, but I'm going to let you know that I am not abandoning this story. I've just been really busy lately and will most likely be busy throughout December. I promise I will get some updates throughout the month. You can expect MULTIPLE updates around Christmastime, which is when my schedule clears up a bit more. Thanks for staying with this fanfic! Don't forget to give kudos, comment, and bookmark for more updates! Keep checking back because I will be working on getting this story up and running again! Enjoy this chapter!

NICO'S POV

The sun set hours ago and our faces are only illuminated by the bonfire we surround.

"Look at that raft!" One of the boys on the beach shout. The bonfire is at its peak height with our recent campfire songs and enthusiasm.

"Where?" Percy asks. The smoky air is blocking the view.

I look past the thick air and look at the raft. Two people are lying down on it. It's still very far away, but visible to us.

"They're coming toward us. Do you think it's some major monster trap with them as bait?" A girl from the Aphrodite cabin asks worriedly.

Everyone scrambles to grab their weapons and other gear as the raft comes closer.

"It could just be some random shipwrecked people," Piper suggests as she grips her dagger.

Suddenly, one of the people sit up. The person starts to wave at us, shouting something.

"What did he say?" Will whispers from next to me.

"I don't know," I mutter back, still trying to hear.

"Maybe you should speed them along, Percy!" Annabeth suggests. A genius plan from the genius herself.

Without a word, Percy moves to the front of the crowd and the raft starts to speed up rapidly. It almost capsizes and throws the passengers off.

Then we all hear it. "Percy! SLOW DOWN!"

Startled, Percy stops the waves from propelling it forward.

"Did he say Percy?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Who could it be?"

The whispers are all around me.

Suddenly, a huge flame erupts off the boat and into the sky. That's when everyone starts to panic.

"It's probably a monster tricking us in a human form!"

"It shoots fire. How can we defend ourselves against something like that?!"

The archers start to knock their arrows.

"STOP!" Piper shouts. Her eyes dart to multiple people and they falter. "Can't you see? That's Leo!"

The raft reaches a close distance and he punches another flame. In the light, we can all make out his mass of curly hair. Festus lay behind him in pieces. An unknown girl sat beside Leo with two bags beside her.

As they floated ashore, people swarmed them.

"Leo! How is this- "

"But you were- "

"We saw you- "

"All that matters is that I'm back, party people!" Leo shouts happily.

Will runs back toward the sand for a first aid kit. As he passes me running back to the water, he shouts, "The doctor is needed!"

When he reaches the mob, he commands people to get out of the way.

"That's my boyfriend," I mumble jokingly as I watch the crowd moving back quickly to allow Will to pass.

I edge closer so I can hear the conversation.

"You're a little dehydrated and a little hungry," Will informs the girl.

"I haven't had any real food in forever. Got anything good?" Leo asks. "I'm starving."

"You still need a little more medical treatment, Leo. You still have some scrapes from the explosion," Will tells him sternly. "You can eat later, Leo."

Leo nods dejectedly. "At least you can eat if you want," he grumbles to the girl.

She stands up from their sitting position in the sand and I finally get a full view of her. She has light brown hair, although it's all tangled and rugged from the sea journey. She looks familiar, but no one's mentioned her name yet. Who is she?

Then she catches sight of Percy. "Percy Jackson?"

All of Percy's attention had been placed on Leo, but he looks up at the girl and a wide smile forms. Of course he knows her. Percy seems to know everybody.

"Calypso," he breathes. Finally, a name: the goddess in the myths that trapped Odysseus on her island for years. Percy must have been trapped there at some time, too. He splutters, "B-but how?!"

"A boy found Ogygia twice," she says, beaming at Leo.

Percy walks over and gives her a hug. She wipes tears from her eyes when she pulls away. Even Annabeth grins at this reunion.

For a full minute, they stand there hugging, but Percy breaks the connection.

"Well, I better get some food for Leo, then," Calypso tells him, still smiling.

The other campers welcome her in a way they never truly welcomed me.

"Just lie here and rest, okay, Leo?" I hear Will say to Leo. He gets up and walks to me with a smile.

"How's the recovery going?" I ask him.

"Pretty well, if not a little irritating. Leo's very..."

"Stubborn? Aggravating?" I supply. "He can be like that, yeah. Luckily, his mind turns that impulsiveness into something he can use."

Will looks over at Leo who is currently high-fiving a few campers as they pass by, or slapping their legs when they don't offer a hand. "I guess that quest made you see another side to him?"

"Yeah. He was an essential part of the team. That quest changed me a lot, though," I reply.

"Well, in that time, I realized I cared about what happened to you and you worried me. I guess that quest changed me, too."

He pecks my cheek lightly and I think about how this relationship is almost the best outcome of the quest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't updated in a long time, but I'm going to let you know that I am not abandoning this story. I've just been really busy lately and will most likely be busy throughout December. I promise I will get some updates throughout the month. You can expect MULTIPLE updates around Christmastime, which is when my schedule clears up a bit more. Thanks for staying with this fanfic! Don't forget to give kudos, comment, and bookmark for more updates! Keep checking back because I will be working on getting this story up and running again!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am the worst fanfiction author in the world... I wrote this Christmas-y scene and meant to post it over break... but I forgot. I won't be able to post til mid-February... I just hope that there's someone out there still enjoying my writing xD Don't forget to give kudos, comment, and bookmark!

WILL'S POV

Things settled down after Leo returned.

Well, except for the fact that the demigods still couldn't believe that Nico and I were dating.

They still placed bets on who would kiss who first in different situations (me), who was worse at archery (Nico), and who visited the other's cabin more. As it turned out, I visited Nico's cabin more than he visited mine. Maybe it was because there was a lot more privacy in the Hades cabin to, well, make out. Every time we did, though, I swore the little sculpture along a wall of the cabin bore its eyes into me. Needless to say, it was a tiny bit awkward for me. I'm surprised no one's changed the rule that says two campers of the opposite gender can't be in their cabins alone. I guess they figure it'd be too much of a hassle to change. Or the camp just find our constant private moments entertaining.

Halloween passed without much trouble. The Ares cabin rigged up some tricks around the cabins, though, and the camp was flooded with rare footage of Annabeth and Percy's privatedisplays of affection (nothing past kissing and cuddling, though). I swore it was Clarisse's personal choice of the relationship to target. I was just glad the focus of the camp wasn't on Nico and me for once.

Finally, it's Christmas, though. A few inches of snow covers the ground- a new coat every day. Already, campers have been sleigh riding down any hills they can find.

"You know, in Camp Jupiter, they would have a lot more fun with the big hills there," Nico comments to me before we split paths to go to our cabin's tables. Kids are leaving snowy tracks on the pavilion as they return from practically fruitless rides.

"We should go, then," I call out to Nico. I'm not sure if he heard me, as his back was turned already. Nico says nothing as he sits down and eats alone, looking down at his plate.

"Hey, Will!" Lou Ellen says, as she passed my table.

Thank the gods we cleared up the rumors that Lou Ellen liked me. She never liked me; Aphrodite had just been playing with my emotions, my relationship. Lou Ellen is in a secret relationship with Cyrus, and has been ever since the Battle of Manhattan, actually.

"Hey!" I reply, waving.

The kids from my cabin slowly fill into the table, laughing and snow-streaked. They happily greet me and sit down around me.

For the briefest of seconds, I think I see Nico lift his head up from looking down at his plate, but when I look at him, his head is lowered like usual. It's the loneliness of being an only kid in a cabin, I guess. While Percy embraces the privacy his cabin offers him, Nico seems to drown in loneliness.

"You guys can join us, you know?" Austin says to me, as he watches me looking at Nico.

"Huh?" I ask, confused. I didn't take in his question while I worried about Nico.

"You're thinking about how lonely he is, aren't you?" Austin replies.

"How did you know?" I ask sullenly.

"Because I know you and that's just the kind of thing you'd be thinking about right now." I drag my eyes away from Nico to look at my half brother. "So do you want to come with us? We got permission to go off Half-Blood Hill, as long as we bring some weapons," Austin tells me.

"That's okay. I think Nico and I are going to check out the hill overlooking New Rome."

"That must be amazing," Austin says, his voice carrying his awe.

"Well, he hasn't taken me to Camp Jupiter yet, so I wouldn't know yet," I reply honestly.

"I'm sure Reyna and Frank can pull some strings for you guys, if anything," Austin reasons.

"Maybe we could get a whole camp meet-up sometime," Kayla suggests. She had been sitting next to Austin, eavesdropping on our conversation.

I suddenly start thinking about when Octavian was launched into the sky by one of the catapults while we defended Camp Half-Blood against the Romans, then Gaea. If they ever found out that we were responsible for killing him? If they did, would they hold it against our camp? We all made sacrifices, and even though Octavian was pretty stupid, he was still a Roman, a Roman we technically killed. It remains a secret Nico and I have to keep.

I was slightly scared of Nico in the moment he allowed Octavian to be launched to his death.What kind of person let someone die that easily and quickly? That's what I had thought. Then I figured it out.

A broken person. A person damaged badly by the person they wanted killed. That's who Nico was then. Condemned for a parentage he had no control of and someone with no one to depend on.

"Will? Will?" Kayla calls my name, probably for the fiftieth time.

"Sorry, I spaced out," I reply. "Maybe we could do that, but I think at a different time."

Austin and Kayla just nod. We finish our breakfasts without much more conversation. When we head back to our cabin, though, my brothers and sisters are chattering animatedly.

I throw on a thicker sweater and a heavy jacket. After a few seconds of thought, I grab an extra jacket and black sweater for Nico. I doubt he has many clothes, not many suited for winter, at least. I put on my snow boots, too. He probably doesn't have those, either. I bought him a pair for Christmas, along with other things, when Aphrodite decided we were her new favorite demigod couple and took me shopping in a dream (I paid for the boots with some mortal money, though). I even ruffle my hair a little in the mirror over my bed, trying to style it.

"Looks like you're ready to go on a date!" _ calls out loudly to me.

All my siblings start to cheer as I smack my forehead jokingly.

"Really, guys?" I say, but I myself am laughing.

"You guys are so cute, though!" Kayla calls out. The others cheer in approval.

Secretly, I love the attention and they all know it. "Aww, but every time I go to see him, you guys practically stalk us."

"You go to see Nico almost too much," Austin says. "We don't go every time. Sometimes it's Jason and Piper."

I just shake my head and clamber out of the cabin. As I walk to the Hades cabin, I notice that several of my siblings are still following me, but they keep a respectable distance.

I walk straight into the Hades cabin, like usual, but what I didn't expect was that Nico was changing at that precise moment. Luckily, I had closed the door behind me, or we would've had some explaining to do.

"Do you mind?!" He asks, with his bare back turned toward me. He can't see who I am, I guess.

"Mmm, I don't mind, but only if you don't," I say, dropping the clothes I brought, grabbing him from behind, and pulling him into a kiss before he can say another word.

He's smiling when he pulls away. "I guess I don't mind," he replies.

"As much as I love looking at you in various states of undress, Nico, you need to get dressed. We have an exciting adventure ahead of us!" I tell him. "Sledding waits for no man!"

He laughs. "Did you bring me something better than the T-shirt I was going to wear, then?"

I toss a black sweatshirt at him. "I better get that back."

"I can promise you nothing," Nico replies. "What else am I going to hold when you're not with me?"

"As long as it's not another guy, whatever works for you. Now hurry up!" I say.

He throws on the sweatshirt, which is about two sizes too large for him. I give him a snow jacket, too, which is also too big for him. The size makes me laugh.

"I don't suppose you have boots, too?" Nico asks, raising his eyebrows. I can tell he's not surprised when I pull out the wrapped present.

"I bought it for your Christmas gift," I tell him.

"How did you buy snow boots while you've been here?" He asks, puzzled.

"Ummm..." I don't have an answer for him.

"Okay, you can keep your little secrets," he says to me. He unwraps the gift and takes out the snow boots. They fit him perfectly.

"These shoes actually turn into any shoe you want it to," I admit. It was an Aphrodite fashion modification.

"Really?" Nico exclaims. He closes his eyes and the boots change into ratty old sneakers. He nods with approval and imagines them back into the original boots that they were. "I don't suppose you got this from a god or goddess?"

"No comment," I tell him, but my smile betrays the poker face I've been trying to keep. "Merry Christmas!"

"Wait, but I didn't get you anything," he says.

I shrug. "You still have time. It's only Christmas Eve, after all. Now, let's go!" I grab his arm and pull him out the door, onto the mini porch of his cabin.

Surrounding us are a few campers, all smiling expectantly at us.

"Um... Hi, guys," I say hesitantly. "What are you doing?"

Connor Stoll looks at me with a mischievous grin. He points upward to the roof of the porch. Dangling at the top is a branch of mistletoe.

"Really?" I exclaim. "Why do you find our public displays of affection part of your entertainment?"

They just stare at us quietly, without replying. I turn to Nico slowly, but uncharacteristically, he puts his arms around my neck and pulls me into a passionate kiss before I can react.

I hear the crowd's cheers around me, but all I can think about is Nico's soft lips on mine. How he, for once, without much hesitation, kissed me in front of a large audience without my first move.

In fact, he was so nervous that before it happened, I could feel the nervousness. One moment, we were on the porch, but in the next moment, we were back in the Hades cabin via short distance shadow travel. He must have sought the safety the private room provided.

"Oops," he said, giving me a slightly lopsided grin once he realized what he'd done.

I just burst out laughing. I knew he'd sometimes shadow travel involuntarily while he slept from what he told me (I haven't actually slept with him by my side, yet). However, I had never experienced the involuntary traveling firsthand.

"We should probably let the others know where we are," Nico tells me, smiling shyly.

I throw open the cabin door and the people stare at us in confusion.

"What just happened?" Travis Stoll asks.

I notice Jason and Piper laughing at the edge of the crowd. Jason calls out, "Nico used to shadow travel in his sleep while we were on the Argo II, to all these different places on the ship."

Nico frowns next to me and stiffens. Those travels were most likely the result of nightmares that he had on the quest. I lightly touch my hand to his, so he doesn't feel too alone. He surely only meant to explain in short what happened. He didn't want other people dredging up part of his past. Now, I sense why he had issues fitting in: he would become insecure that people would be out to get him and point out his flaws, trying to reveal his every secret. He sure had a lot of secrets I was slowly unraveling.

"You okay?" I whisper to him, while the crowd's attention is on Jason's knowledge of the experience.

Nico looks at me with tears threatening to well up in his eyes. His quest really was incredibly scarring, it seems. Normally so headstrong and emotionless, it's hard to remember at times that Nico is just an insecure teenager.

I grab his hand, despite its coldness. His hands are always cold, made warm by me. "Let's go, okay?"

He only musters up a nod, and I give him a small peck on the forehead.

"We have to go now, guys. Seriously," I address the crowd. "We'd like to get some privacy, too?"

The demigods slowly disperse, whispering.

"It'll be okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GIVE KUDOS, COMMENT, AND BOOKMARK! I don't know when I'll have time for another chapter, but I'm still not done, so sometime or another I'll update xP

**Author's Note:**

> A happy Will Solace says, "Please leave comments! Leave kudos!" He won't treat your wounds if you don't! :)


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